Deakin’s Climate Ready Campus is our vision for the Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus. We aim to establish the campus as a living laboratory for sustainable development. We are working with students, academics, researchers and key partners to deliver projects, perform research and develop innovations to mitigate our impact on climate change. Deakin is committed to the Climate Ready Campus vision across our four campuses. From recycling to eco-friendly transportation, our campuses are designed to help us meet our sustainability commitments.
Learn more about our Climate Ready Campus, an integrated systems approach designed to mitigate our environmental impact and respond to climate hazards.
We’re taking action to increase sustainable modes of transport by enhancing public transport, ride-share and active transport options. By 2030, most Deakin staff and students will use sustainable transport options to and between campuses, such as carpooling, walking or cycling. Find out about sustainable ways to get to Deakin.
Reduce your impact on the planet by walking, cycling or taking public transport to Deakin. Choosing one of these options helps to reduce your emissions and contribute to a sustainable university.
We have a significant responsibility to manage our own operational sustainability impacts. Managing water and reducing our waste output is integral to creating a Climate Ready Campus.
We want to increase our water efficiency across our campuses and reduce the amount of drinkable water we use for services. We have 5-star water-efficient buildings with fixtures and fittings, and rainwater harvesting at two of our campuses. Our integrated water management plan for our Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus focuses on the best-practice management for water sources, stormwater and drainage, natural waterways and the social and economic values of water.
We want to be zero waste to landfill by 2030. We aim to recycle everything at Deakin – from batteries, mobile phones and tablets to cartridges, paper and cardboard. Our e-waste is diverted from landfill and collected by GDP Industries, an Australian Disability Enterprise and not-for-profit, to be reused or disassembled for resource recovery. Since introducing composting on campus in 2018, we've diverted 128 tonnes of food from landfill bins.
We’re committed to becoming carbon neutral. We aim to use 100% renewable electricity by 2025. We're on track with initiatives such as our renewable energy microgrid, solar panel project and by purchasing renewable energy through the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project 2 buying group. Our partnership with the Qantas Future Planet Program aims to offset 100% of our travel-related emissions.
Developed in partnership with AusNet Services and Mondo Power, our 7.25-megawatt renewable energy microgrid at Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus delivers around half of the campus’ electricity needs and contributes 12,000 tonnes of annual emission reductions. The microgrid also supports the education of future energy professionals and builds our research capacity.
The goods and services Deakin purchases, and the process to procure them, significantly impacts environmental, social and economic sustainability. We support suppliers who are socially responsible and adopt ethical practices. We're on target for our suppliers to meet our 2025 sustainable procurement principles, plus by 2030, our supply chain will have a measurable positive impact on the United Nations SDGs.
We care for a diverse range of animal and plant species on 450 hectares of land across our four campuses. We are committed to establishing biodiversity corridors by 2030, allowing wildlife to thrive on campus. Our strategies focus on adapting to climate change, increasing resilience and enhancing biodiversity value and knowledge. For example, our tree management software Arboplan helps us perform risk assessments and preserve trees that may otherwise have been destroyed or damaged.
Every new building at Deakin will offset its own sustainability impact by 2030. Our buildings are constructed using best practice sustainable principles to:
Get in touch with us to find out more about Deakin's sustainability commitments.
